Your credit report is an invaluable asset that often goes unnoticed. It provides essential information about your relationship with creditors, which directly influences your credit score. Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that your credit report reflects accurate details about your debts and creditors.
Identifying Credit Report Errors
Have you ever conducted a soft inquiry on your credit report and discovered unfamiliar or incorrect accounts or debt? It’s natural to feel alarmed and worry about identity theft. However, there’s a possibility that these errors are not always a result of fraudulent activity.
Understanding Credit Report Errors
Credit report errors, as the name suggests, refer to inaccuracies in your credit report. Surprisingly, these mistakes are quite common and affect approximately one in three Americans. Some typical credit report errors include:
- Incorrect personal information (name, phone number, address, etc.)
- Mixed files (your information mixed with someone else’s)
- Closed accounts reported as open
- Accounts incorrectly marked as delinquent or late
- Incorrect or missing payment information
- Duplicate listing of a debt
- Inaccurate account balances or credit limits
While some credit report errors may be due to identity theft, the majority stem from data input and management errors. These mistakes can occur at various levels, including your bank, another financial institution, the credit reporting agency, or even yourself.
The Consequences of Credit Report Errors
Credit report errors can have serious repercussions. Ignoring them can adversely impact your credit score and tarnish your reputation. It may limit your ability to secure credit and even cost you money.
Resolving Credit Report Errors
Fixing credit report errors can be straightforward or challenging, depending on the nature of the mistake. Simple errors like misspelled names, incorrect addresses, or wrong account numbers can often be resolved within a few days. However, more complex issues, such as disputes about account balances or unauthorized accounts, may take several days or even weeks to resolve.
Rectifying Credit Report Errors
To address an error on your credit report, you need to file a dispute with the credit reporting agency responsible for providing the report. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) makes both you and the credit reporting agency accountable for correcting any inaccurate information.
When filing a dispute, make sure to include copies of all relevant documentation that highlight the error and prove its incorrectness. Once the dispute is filed, the credit reporting agency is obligated to investigate your claim within 30 days. You will receive notification of the investigation results and obtain a free copy of your revised credit report if any changes were made.
Disputing Errors with Multiple Agencies
You don’t need to file multiple disputes for the same error across different credit reporting agencies. When one agency agrees to correct an error you reported, the other two agencies should receive this updated information.
Professional Assistance for Credit Report Errors
If you find incorrect information on your credit report, consider seeking help from The Law Offices of Abel L. Pierre, Attorney at Law, P.C. Our experienced team can assist you in filing a dispute to address credit report errors promptly. It’s crucial to take action as soon as possible, as these errors may be negatively impacting your credit score.
To learn more about how we can help you, schedule a consultation online.